XVII
John Parker and his wife, with the unsuspecting Okada, were lingeringover a late luncheon when Kay and Don Mike entered the dining-room.
"Well, you bold Spanish cavalier, what do you mean by running away withmy little girl?" Mrs. Parker demanded.
Before Farrel could reply, Kay answered for him.
"We've had quite a wild and woolly Western adventure, mother dear.Have you seen Pablo since we left together?"
"I have," the lady replied. "He had Monsieur Loustalot in charge, andrelated to us the details of the adventure up to the moment you and Mr.Farrel left him with the prisoner while you two continued on to ElToro. What happened in El Toro?"
"Don Mike succeeded in attaching Loustalot's bank-account," Kayinformed the company. "The loot will probably amount to something overfifty thousand dollars."
"I should say that isn't a half-bad stipend to draw for your firsthalf-day pursuit of the nimble cart-wheel of commerce," Parkersuggested.
Mrs. Parker pursed her lips comically.
"The boy is clever, John. I knew it the moment I met him this morning.Felicitations, Don Miguel. John intends to strip you down to yourbirthday suit--fairly, of course--so keep up the good work, andeverything may still turn out right for you. I'll cheer for you, atany rate."
"Thank you, dear Mrs. Parker." Don Miguel slipped into his seat at thehead of the table. "I have also attached Loustalot's new automobile,"
"You Shylock! What else?" Mrs. Parker demanded eagerly.
"About ten thousand sheep, more or less. I attached these onsuspicion, although the burden of proving that Loustalot owns them willbe upon me. However," he concluded, with a bright glance at Parker, "Ibelieve that can readily be accomplished--with your aid."
"I shall be the poorest witness in the world, Mr. Farrel."
"Well, I shall see to it, Mr. Parker, that you are given an opportunityto tell the judge of the Superior Court in El Toro why Loustalot calledon you this morning, why a great band of sheep is trespassing on theRancho Palomar, why Loustalot drew a check in your favor for fiftythousand dollars, why you declined to take it, what you said toLoustalot this morning to cause him to steal one of my horses in hisanxiety to get off the ranch, why your attorneys drew up a certainlease of the grazing-privilege to Loustalot, and why the deal fellthrough."
Parker flushed.
"Can you produce that fifty-thousand-dollar check? I happen to know ithas not been cashed."
"No, I cannot, Mr. Parker."
Kay opened her purse and tossed the check across to her father.
"It was drawn in your favor, dad," she informed him; "so I concluded itwas your property, and when Mr. Farrel came by it--ah, illegally--andshowed it to me, I retained it."
"Good girl! Mr. Farrel, have you any objection to my returning thischeck?"
"Not the slightest. It has served its purpose. However, you will haveto wait until you meet Loustalot somewhere outside the boundaries ofthe Rancho Palomar, sir. I had comforted myself with the thought thathe was safe under lock and key here, but, to my vast surprise, I methim in the bank at El Toro making futile efforts to withdraw his cashbefore I could attach the account. The confounded ingrate informs methat Mr. Okada turned him loose."
There was no mistaking the disapproval in the glance which Parkerturned upon Okada.
"Is this true, Mr. Okada?"
"It is not true," Okada replied promptly. "I know nozzing about.Nozzing."
"Well, Pablo thinks it is true, Mr. Okada." Don Miguel's voice wasunruffled, his manner almost benignant. "The old man is outside, andabsolutely broken-hearted. His honor appears to be quite gone. Iimagine," Don Mike continued, with a fleeting and whimsical glance atthe potato baron, "that he has evolved some primitive plan for makinghis honor whole again. Direct methods always did appeal to Pablo."
"Mr. Farrel," John Parker began, "I regret this incident more than Ican say. I give you my word of honor I had nothing to do with itdirectly or indirectly--"
"John, for goodness' sake, old dear, give Mr. Farrel credit for somecommon sense. He knows very well you wouldn't break bread with him andthen betray him. Don't you, Mr. Farrel?" Mrs. Parker pleaded.
"Of course, Mr. Parker's assurance is wholly unnecessary, Mrs. Parker."
"Mr. Okada is leaving this afternoon," Parker hastened to assure him.
"Mr. Okada shows commendable prudence." Don Mike's tones wereexceedingly dry.
Okada rose and bowed his squinch-owl bow.
"I very sorry," he sputtered. "I zink that man Pablo one big liar.'Scuse, please; I go."
"If he hadn't called Pablo a liar," Don Mike murmured plaintively, "Ishould have permitted him to march out with the honors of war. As thematter stands now, however, I invite all of you to listen attentively.In a few minutes you're going to hear something that will remind you ofthe distant whine of a sawmill. After all, Pablo is a poor old fellowwho lives a singularly humdrum existence."
"Ah, yes; let the poor fellow have his simple little pleasures," Mrs.Parker pleaded. "'All work and no play'--you know, Don Miguel."
"My dear," Parker answered testily, "there are occasions when yoursense of humor is positively oppressive."
"Very well, John; I'll be serious." His wife turned to Farrel. "Mr.Farrel," she continued, "while you were away, I had a very bright idea.You are much too few in the family for such a large house, and itoccurred to me that you might care to lease the Palomar hacienda to usfor a year. I'm so weary of hotels and equally weary of a town house,with its social obligations and the insolence of servants--particularlycooks. John needs a year here, and we would so like to remain if itcould be arranged. Your cook, Carolina, is not the sort that leavesone's employ in the middle of a dinner-party."
"Would five hundred dollars a month for the house and the use ofCarolina and three saddle-horses interest you, Mr. Farrel? From ourconversation of this morning, I judge you have abandoned hope ofredeeming the property, and during the year of the redemption period,six thousand dollars might--ah--er--"
"Well, it would be better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick,"Don Miguel replied genially. "I need the money; so I accept--but withcertain reservations. I like Carolina's cooking, too; I have a coupleof hundred head of cattle to look after, and I'd like to reserve oneroom, my place at this table, and my position as master of Palomar. Ofcourse, I'm not so optimistic as to think you folks would accept of myhospitality for a year, so I suggest that you become what our Britishcousins call 'paying guests,' albeit I had never expected to fall lowenough to make such a dastardly proposition. Really, it abases me.It's never been done before in this house."
"I declare you're the most comfortable young man to have around that Ihave ever known. Isn't he, Kay?" Mrs. Parker declared.
"I think you're very kind," the girl assured him. "And I think it willbe very delightful to be paying guests to such a host, Don Mike Farrel."
"Then it's settled," Parker announced, much relieved.
"And let us here highly resolve that we shall always be good friendsand dwell together in peace," Kay suggested.
"I made that resolve when you met me at the gate last night, MissParker. Hark! Methinks I hear a young riot. Well, we cannot possiblyhave any interest in it, and, besides, we're talking business now. Mr.Parker, there isn't the slightest hope of my earning sufficient moneyto pay the mortgage you hold against this ranch of mine, so I haveresolved to gamble for it whenever and wherever I can. You have agreedto pay me six thousand dollars, in return for which I guarantee to feedyou and your family and servants well, and house you comfortably andfurnish three saddle-horses, with saddles and bridles, for a period ofone year. Understand?"
"Understood."
Don Miguel Farrel took two dice out of his pocket and cuddled them inhis palm.
"I'll roll you the bones, one flop, twelve thousand dollars or nothing,sir," he challenged.
"But if I win--"
"You want to know if I am in a posi
tion to support you all for one yearif I lose? I am. There are cattle enough on the ranch to guaranteethat."
"Well, while these little adventures are interesting, Mr. Farrel, thefact is I've always made it a rule not to gamble."
"Listen to the hypocrite!" his wife almost shouted. "Gambled every dayof his life for twenty-five years on the New York Stock Exchange, andnow he has the effrontery to make a statement like that! John Parker,roll them bones!"
"Not to-day," he protested. "This isn't my lucky day."
"Well, it's mine," the good soul retorted. "Miguel--you'll pardon mycalling you by your first name: Miguel, but since I was bound to do sosooner or later, we'll start now--Miguel, I'm in charge of the domesticaffairs of the Parker family, and I've never known a time when thispoor tired old business man didn't honor my debts. Roll 'em, Mike, andtest your luck."
"Mother!" Kay murmured reproachfully.
"Nonsense, dear! Miguel is the most natural gentleman, the first_regular_ young man I've met in years. I'm for him, and I want him toknow it. Are you for me, Miguel?"
"All the way!" Don Mike cried happily,
"There!" the curious woman declared triumphantly. "I knew we weregoing to be good friends. What do I see before me? As I live, a pairof box cars."
"Mother, where _did_ you learn such slang?" her daughter pleaded.
"From the men your non-gambling father used to bring home to play pokerand shoot craps," she almost shouted. "Well, let us see if I can rolltwo sixes and tie the score. I can! What's more, I do! Miguel, arethese dice college-bred? Ah! Old Lady Parker rolls a wretched littlepair of bull's-eyes!"
Don Miguel took the dice and rolled--a pair of deuces.
"I'm going to make big money operating a boarding-house," he informedthe lady.
"'Landlord, fill the flowing bowl until it doth flow over,'" she sanggaily. "John, you owe Miguel twelve thousand dollars, payable at therate of one thousand dollars a month for twelve months. Have yourlawyer in El Toro draw the lease this afternoon."
Parker glanced at her with a broad hint of belligerence in his keengray eyes.
"My dear," he rasped, "I wish you would take me seriously once in awhile. For twenty-five years I've tried to keep step with you, andI've failed. One of these bright days I'm going to strike."
"I recall three occasions when you went on strike, John, and refused toaccept my orders," the mischievous woman retorted sweetly. "At theconclusion of the strike, you couldn't go back to work. Miguel, threeseparate times that man has declined to cease money-making long enoughto play, although I begged him with tears in my eyes. And I'm not thecrying kind, either. And every time he disobeyed, he blew up. Miguel,he came home to me as hysterical as a high-school girl, wept on myshoulder, said he'd kill himself if he couldn't get more sleep, andthen surrendered and permitted me to take him away for six months.Strange to relate, his business got along very nicely without him. AmI not right, Kay?"
"You are, mother dear. Dad reminds me of a horse at a livery-stablefire. You rescue him from the flames, but the instant you let go hishalter-shank, he dashes into the burning barn." She winked ever soslightly at Farrel. "Thanks to you, Don Mike," she assured him,"father's claws are clipped for one year; thanks to you, again, we nowhave a nice, quiet place to incarcerate him."
Farrel could see that John Parker, while outwardly appearing to enjoythis combined attack against him, was secretly furious. And Don Mikeknew why. His pride as a business man was being cruelly lacerated; hehad foolishly crawled out on the end of a limb, and now there was aprobability, although a remote one, that Miguel Farrel would saw offthe limb before he could crawl back.
"Perhaps, Mr. Farrel," he replied, with a heroic attempt at jocularity,"you will understand now that it was not altogether a cold hard heartthat prompted me to decline your request for a renewal of the mortgagethis morning. I couldn't afford to. I had agreed to gamble onemillion dollars that you were thoroughly and effectually dead--Icouldn't see one chance in a million where this ranch would get awayfrom me."
"Well, do not permit yourself to become down-hearted, Mr. Parker," DonMike assured him whimsically. "I cannot see one chance in a millionwhere you are going to lose it."
"Thank you for the heartening effect of those words, Mr. Farrel."
"I think I understand the reason underlying all this speed, Mr. Parker.You and Okada feared that next year the people of this state will soamend their faulty anti-alien land law of 1913 that it will beimpossible for any Oriental to own or lease California land then. Soyou proceeded with your improvements during the redemption period,confident that the ranch would never be redeemed, in order that youmight be free to deal with Okada before the new law went into effect.Okada would not deal with you until he was assured the water could begotten on the land."
"Pa's thrown out at first base!" Mrs. Parker shrilled. "Poor old pa!"
Don Mike's somber black eyes flashed with mirth. "I understand now whyyou leased the hacienda and why that twelve-thousand-dollar board billhurt," he murmured. He turned to Kay and her mother. "Why the poorunfortunate man is forced to remain at the Rancho Palomar in order toprotect his bet." His thick black brows lifted piously. "Don't cheer,boys," he cried tragically; "the poor devil is going fast now! Isthere anybody present who remembers a prayer or who can sing a hymn?"
Kay's adorable face twitched as she suppressed a chuckle at herfather's expense, but now that Parker was being assailed by all three,his loyal wife decided to protect him.
"Well, Johnny's a shrewd gambler after all," she declared. "If you donot redeem the ranch, he will get odds of two and a half to one on hismillion-dollar bet and clean up in a year. With water on the lands ofthe San Gregorio, Okada's people will pay five hundred dollars an acrecash for the fifty thousand acres."
"I grant you that, Mrs. Parker, but in the meantime he will haveincreased tremendously the value of all of my land in the San Gregoriovalley, and what is to prevent me, nine months from now, from floatinga new loan rather handily, by reason of that increased valuation,paying off Mr. Parker's mortgage and garnering for myself that two anda half million dollars' profit you speak of?"
"I fear you will have to excuse us from relishing the prospect of thatjoke, Don Mike," Kay murmured.
"Work on that irrigation project will cease on Saturday evening, Mr.Farrel," Parker assured his host.
Nevertheless, Farrel observed that his manner belied his words;obviously he was ill at ease. For a moment, the glances of the two menmet; swift though that visual contact was, each read in the other'sglance an unfaltering decision. There would be no surrender.
The gay mood into which Mrs. Parker's humorous sallies had thrownFarrel relaxed; there came back to him the memory of some graves in thevalley, and his dark, strong face was somber again. Of a sudden,despite his victory of the morning, he felt old for all histwenty-eight years--old and sad and embittered, lonely, futile andhelpless.
The girl, watching him closely, saw the light die out in his face, sawthe shadows come, as when a thunder-cloud passes between the sun and asmiling valley. His chin dropped a little on his breast, and forperhaps ten seconds he was silent; by the far-away gleam in his eyes,Kay knew he was seeing visions, and that they were not happy ones.
Instinctively her hand crept round the corner of the table and touchedhis arm lightly. Her action was the result of impulse; almost as soonas she had touched him, she withdrew her hand in confusion.
But her mother had noticed the movement, and a swift glance toward herhusband drew from him the briefest of nods, the most imperceptible ofshrugs.
"Come, Johnny dear," she urged, and her voice had lost its accustomedshrillness now; "let us go forth and see what has happened to theLittle Old Man of the Spuds."
He followed her outside obediently, and arm in arm they walked aroundthe patio toward the rear gate.
"Hello!" he murmured suddenly, and, with a firm hand under her chin, hetilted her handsome face upward. There were tears
in her eyes. "Whatnow?" he demanded tenderly. "How come, old girl?"
"Nothing, John, I'm just an old fool--laughing when I'm not weeping andweeping when I ought to be laughing."